Coach Boeheim Talks about the Upcoming 2020-2021 Season
We are weeks away from the beginning of the basketball season and many are wondering how this season will go. But one thing for certain is that Hall of Fame Coach Boeheim is confident that the team will be able to play every game this season as well as keep his players healthy on and off of the court.
“You don’t sit still, you don’t give up, you don’t quit, you follow protocol, and you keep your players healthy, but you don’t stay home,” said Boeheim.
Thanks to their new contact tracing devices that the player and coaches wear during practice the players are able to make sure that they are following the proper protocol in order to stay safe. The devices look like a wristwatch and are able to notify each player and coach if they are standing too close to each other as well as provide data on how long they were standing near a player or coach. Practice is different this year there is no man vs man, no film sessions and not as much unity, but despite the circumstances Boeheim feels that each returning player is stronger than their previous season. One of the reasons being weight gain. Some of the returning players gained 15-20 pounds in the last few months, but Coach Boeheim says that the extra weight helped forward Marek Dolezaj become a much better player and he has become a better shooter. And even though the team is doing well in practices it is still hard to tell what they are capable of as a team due to the safety protocols.
“I won’t know how much they can do as a team until the games,” says Boeheim.”
But he has a lot of confidence in his returning players as well as new players. Boeheim has a lot of faith in his new freshman recruit Kadary Richmond, even though a lot of SU fans underestimated his abilities on the court.
“He’s good with the ball, he doesn’t make a lot of mistakes, he’s a good shooter, really good as a Point Guard and an overall talented player,” says Boeheim.
He also mentioned that SU fans will definitely see Kadary Richmond on the court this upcoming season. But he is not the only player that Boeheim is ready to see on the court, Forward Allen Griffin transferred to SU this fall and was immediately cleared to play in the upcoming season. If you are wondering if Griffin will be a strong asset to the team after losing Elijah Hughes, you may not have to worry at all. Coach Boeheim says that Alan Griffin fits right in with the team.
Boeheim says that Griffin is a high motor player which he hasn’t seen in a while.
“Every play he will go for the ball, he’ll go for a rebound from 20ft away. He is a highly skilled player, “says Boeheim.
